Bobbi Brown Bath Perfume- Good Clean Fun

I'm nothing if not a woman of broad tastes. I can appreciate vintage Guerlain Aprés L'Ondee parfum, swoon over it's heartbreaking beauty while weeping over it's unavailability while I watch bottles as rare as gems sell for many thousands on ebay. But, I am not a perfume snob, and I can appreciate something that makes my skin smell lovely, no matter what the price tag says. Which is both a good and a bad thing....

One of my favourite, easy, cheap and cheerful perfume is Bobbi Brown's Bath. It is meant to evoke that squeaky clean feeling one has after the bath- obviously- and does a good of it. It's chock full of soapy and wonderful orange blossom and neroli that blooms on the skin, with a gentle note of water hyacinth that adds a watery aspect. It is uncomplicated, like a simple cologne, and as easy to wear as a white t shirt. It is definitely a soapy perfume, and an unapologetic one at that. I would say this is pretty much Ivory soap, and I have always loved the scent of Ivory. Wet and warm freshly scrubbed skin, good clean fun...

This perfume is particularly lovely in extreme heat, as you have that just jumped out of the bath (or shower) feeling. And for a soapy cologne scent that does not cost the moon, I get amazing longevity from Bobbi Brown Bath- maybe 3-4 hours, even in the heat. It is perfect for daytime, and also lovely for a night out, maybe on a patio with a nice cool drink. This sweet little perfume has garnered me so many compliments when I wear it, one wonders if we really might be over thinking our perfumes. I've been stopped by strangers asking me what perfume I'm wearing. It makes me think of a line from one of my favourite movies, Amadeus, when Emperor Joseph II tells Mozart that his music "is quality work....there are simply too many notes". 

       


I got mine at Murale  (it is available on their website) in Canada, and I have seen at the Bobbi Brown cosmetic counter recently as well. But I see that it is no longer on her website, and is "unavailable" on the Nordstrom site. Hm. Maybe it's going to be discontinued? For the bargain $48 I paid, I may go buy another bottle as back up.

Givenchy's Beautiful Harvest: 2010 Organza Neroli

This year, as in the past few years, Givenchy has chosen the best fragrant harvests to use as special editions of their perfumes, as the Givenchy Harvest, or, Les Récolte Givenchy. These are special & limited edition perfumes which are good news for fans of Givenchy scents. My experience with these perfumes has been that they enhance the original in such a lovely way, that a lover of a certain Givenchy perfume will also love the Harvest edition. As well, the Harvest editions may indeed garner new fans as was my experience with the lovely 2010 Organza Neroli, this year's Harvest Edition. They come in gorgeous bottles, heavy but not huge, and they are in a lovely presentation box perfect for collectors, gift giving, or just lovers of all things elegant and lovely (moi? mais, bien sûr!)

I did love Organza when it was released- a rich creamy oriental floral with gourmand tendencies. A heart of white florals grounded with vanilla and woody notes- yum! It was an elegant scent that I wore when I was going out on the town and wanted to feel sexy and feminine. There was nothing quiet about Organza and it offered no apologies for being drop dead sexy. It still has legions of fans around the world and has become a classic.

The light is making this just glow 

As time goes on, for some, scent tastes change, and I moved away from my beloved Orientals (Opium, Dolce & Gabbana, Allure, Kenzo Jungle Elephant etc) and into simpler scents. I like to smell ladylike and feminine and hints of orange blossom or other notes that summon up soap really appeal to me. One of my favourite neroli scents is Laura Mercier Neroli- just simple clean straight up neroli, which, while lovely, isn’t always “enough”. 

The addition of this beautiful blossom to Organza is so unusual but somehow works for me. It is all neroli right off the top, with the green notes adding an unusual cologne note, then dries down to the creamy rich Organza I know so well. The floral notes play up beautifully and the green notes add a bubbly effervescence to Organza- actually making it a perfect version of Organza to wear in warmer weather, or more casually, but still with that drop dead diva appeal, just softer. There is a bergamot top note in the original Organza and adding the neroli somehow enhances the fruity effect but in a fresh way. But the neroli really makes the white florals at the heart of Organza shine.  Love it!

Gorgeous!